Pave the Way
by Shizuka no Taisho
Summary: "You see as I do, but this is only the beginning. There is much we can show each other, Loki." Thor released his hand and walked out into the rain, proffering his own to the smaller prince whilst a warm smile spread over his lips. "Come. If you want to experience a proper storm, then allow me to pave the way."


Loki had never seen rain before. Jotunheim was far too cold for anything but snow and ice, the latter which covered all in a thick, unrelenting gloss of bluish-green. He remembered staring at the heavens and imagining what might lie outside the dower abyss, in a world where all wasn't frozen and barred against the realms beyond. This was like nothing he could have ever dreamed. He could feel the power of the storm above his head, slate and raven hued clouds converging together with a loud rumbling that reminded him of glaciers cracking down the middle. There was a brilliant flash of white light too, flashing in jagged spires across the sky. Loki shielded his eyes before it could blind him completely, and through the glow he saw a dark shape float down from the clouds, the rain never touching his powerful form.

"So the tales are true," Loki murmured, lowering his hand to better see the man as he approached. "You do possess power over the storm."

Tossing back his golden hair, Thor frowned when he saw the drenched Jotun and hastened his step until they were but a foot away from each other, the circle of dryness protecting him now extended to Loki as well. "Loki, you shouldn't be out here."

"Don't be ridiculous. It's hardly as if I'm going to catch a chill." He had to brush back his soaked hair to meet Thor's eyes, and he was instantly captivated by the powerful gaze staring back at him, shimmering each time the lightning struck. It was like looking into two brilliant opals, their surfaces rippling with electric blue. Loki shivered and moved closer to the thunderer, tasting ozone and something fiery hot on his tongue, a thrilling tingle running down his arms from the proximity with the electrically charged god. "I never imagined it was like this.."

"Like what?" Thor swept off his cape and draped it around Loki's shoulders, streamers of raven silk staining the material a darker, almost bloody shade of red. Loki clutched at it and gently fondled the cloth with his fingertips, finding it heavy, but ridiculously soft, engulfing his lither form in its warmed folds. "You are soaked through. Loki, how long have you been standing out here?" It looked as if Thor meant to scold him, and if not for his obvious concern Loki might have criticized him for it. Instead he allowed the thunderer to go on his sentimental tirade as he turned his eyes to the storm above their heads, which seemed to grow louder with Thor's words, lightning striking through the smoky blue and illuminating the rain, making it resemble molten silver. "Loki? Loki!" Two hands suddenly appeared in his peripheral vision, guiding his eyes back to Thor's. "Are you listening to me?"

"Of course I am," Loki soothed, leaning into Thor's left hand. He was a talented liar, and yet his silver tongue seemed ineffective today; Thor was frowning at him, though a touch of humor burned in his cobalt gaze. "Now Thor, don't look at me like that. You can hardly blame me if I'm a little distracted! I've never seen this before. Rain, the storm-" he took a few steps away from the prince's side and reached outside the invisible barrier protecting them from the elements. Rain still fell in plentiful torrents from the sky, and within seconds Loki's palm was soaked, droplets following the natural contours and bloodlines marking his skin until a single bead was left pooling at his inner elbow. He stared at it, fascinated. "It's all so.." Loki breathed the scents in, then released the breath he hadn't realized he was holding, dewing his lips with cool moisture. "..Enthralling."

Having stepped up behind him, perhaps of a mind to pull him back, Thor watched Loki gaze at the dark sky with its mercurial streamers and hesitated. "….I had forgotten that you are not of this world. This must all be strange to you." He laid a hand on the trickster's elbow and drew him back a few paces, smirking faintly as rain continued to drip from his bluish fingertips. "Truly, you have never seen rain before?"

"Of course not, you oaf. When would I have had the chance? My realm is a wasteland, filled with naught but spires and glaciers, and cliffs of ice that would make even the tallest giant look small." In comparison, Loki was little more than a speck on the ground. Here though-much as he felt enveloped by the storm, wrapped in its charge, he could sense his own powers responding to the call. It was a seductive thrill, and made him wonder too. If Thor could harness all this might for himself, then what might they accomplish together? He and his intended…

"Loki. Your seidr." Thor called attention to his hands, bright with the frosted green swirls of his magic. It had responded without thinking, and Loki felt it in the air, a touch of warmth to the chill he otherwise exuded. "Be not mistaken. The power over the storms is mine to command. You can no more hold dominion over it than I your mastery of ice and snow." The warning was not unkind, but came out sounding rather amused, as if Thor found his fascination comical. "Loki, heed me. Whatever madness runs through that head of yours, discard it now. This is beyond you."

"You are the one who is mistaken," Loki returned Thor's smirk and lifted his hand, putting its palm full of emerald and rain water on full display. "I care not for controlling the storms, Thor. That gift is yours, and it is not one I covet. I was only…curious." With a puff of air the rain turned to flecks of ice, glittering like tiny diamonds against his skin. He blew them at Thor with a cheeky grin and then allowed his seidr to dissipate into thin air, leaving only the faintest glitter of ice before the thunderer brushed it away. It melted almost instantly at the contact with his warm skin. "To me, such weather as this is an anomaly. I heard the thunder from my rooms, and I couldn't resist getting a closer look. It's impossible to ignore, Thor. You who are so used to all this wouldn't realize the thrall it can hold."

What had been amusement morphed into full on laughter, heartily shaking the thunder god's frame. "You think so, do you?" Synced with his moods, the rain outside their bubble dispersed to a faint trickling; the sound of it was airy, lighthearted. It filled Loki with a strange sense of mirth, even though he didn't entirely understand why. "Loki, I understand. Centuries could pass, and I will still marvel at the sheer force that harkens to my fingertips. Is it not the same as your seidr?"

He wasn't incorrect. Loki hadn't been expecting such a comparison though. Boasts about his might and strength, his prowess with that force which was his to command; this was what the Jotun had thought he would hear. Yet Thor compared their powers, as if they were equals. The warmth in his chest blossomed, spreading its roots throughout his entire body. "I suppose," Loki responded, "though your magic is very different from mine. I would hardly think to compare the two."

"But not so different that you are beyond comprehension." Thor took the Jotun's hand and walked him to the barrier, passing his hand through the intangible force to touch the rainfall. "I have controlled the storms for many years, Loki. To me, they have always appeared beautiful, and that beauty only grows as the years trickle past. With the growth of my power comes fresh understanding, a knowledge of that which dwells within my veins. It is a force those unlike us can never hope to fathom." Again with the mention of them both. Loki wanted to ponder this development, but Thor left his thoughts a touch fuzzy as he called to the skies above and commanded a thicker downpour, the cold liquid sloshing in his cupped palm. And there was their master himself, leaning down to whisper in Loki's ear. "You see as I do, but this is only the beginning. There is much we can show each other, Loki." Thor released his hand and walked out into the rain, proffering his own to the smaller prince whilst a warm smile spread over his lips. "Come. If you want to experience a proper storm, then allow me to pave the way."

"….You do strike a hard bargain." His own smile taking shape, Loki wrapped Thor's cape tighter around himself and laid his fingers on that golden palm. It was as his books had always said. When in doubt, seek out the source of that which holds your interest. And he was happy to allow Thor to lead him on.


End file.
